Rearview device



May 15, Q BARDEN I 2,375,887

REAR VIEW DEVICE Filed Oct. 10, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Y CL/FFO/?0 30/905 1 M ATTORNEY May 15, 1945. Q BARDEN 2,375,887

' REAR VIEW DEVICE Filed Opt. 10, 1942 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w F'IG.3.

Patented May 15, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Applicatic: zzfbtltTd jte afldo. 461,553 1 Claim. (Gi s-70) This invention reiates to motor vehicles such' for fexample, as automobiles, trucks, buses, airplanes, or the like, and more particularly the invention relates to rear-wiew devices for motor vehicles which function toprovide the driver. or operator with a view of the area to the rear ofthevehicle without'requiring him to change from v the position he normally occupieswhile driving j the car.

Prior art devices of the. above character, usually comprise some form of rear-view mirror mounted at the front'of' the vehicle sothat it faces the driver and 'so positioned as to present to the driver the view in rear of the vehicle. Rear-view mirrors are customarily supported within the car and above the center of the windshield so that they reflect the view as it appears through the rear window; or, they are mounted on the end ofan arm extending outwardly from the side-of the car next to the driver and they reflect the view as it appears to' the sflidefand rear of the car. 1 Neither the mirror inside of the 'vehicle nor'the oneprojectin'g from the side are satisfactory, because they cannot give the driver a view of theobjects directly in rear of the vehicle. Such a view' is highly desirable in backing up and in parking the vehicle. and it i's'also de- 'sirable to have sucha view when moving forward because 'with the devices of the" prior art,

another vehicle can be following at, the side and rear without being seen, Such a condition is likely to cause an accident should the driver in front move toward the side of the road occupied by the -vehicle following. A further disadvantage, of the inside rear-view mirror is that the view through the rear window is oftentimes obstructed by persons or objects within the, rear part of the car.

It is an object of the present invention taprovide a rear-view device for motor vehicles which is of improved construction and arrangement of parts and which effectively overcomes the above-outlined disadvantages.

A further object is to provide a new and ,improved rear-view device' for motor vehicles which provides'the driver'a't all times-with a view of'the area directly in rear of the car as well as the area provided by the prior art devices.

'Other objectsof the invention will be pointed out in the following decription and claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose, by way of example, the principle of the invention and the best mode, which has. been contemplated. of applying that principle.

view device as embodied in an automobile, the device being shown in side elevation, and the automobile diagrammatically;

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 3 and showing a third form of rear-view device asembodied in an automobile; and

Fig. 5 is .a view like Fig. 3 and showing a fourth form of rear-view device as embodiedin an automobile.

Referring first to the embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the reference numeral N indicates a conventional form of autobile, and the numeral ll indicates'a rear-view optical device embodied in the automobile II. The device H functions to display continually to the driver, images of objects in rear of the automobile and including particularlythose located directly behind the vehicleand those at the sides and rear of the vehicle.

The device II is shown as comprising alighttransmitting tube It formed of two straight tube section's-l3 and. M, respectively, whichare joined together at It in end-to-end relation and with their. respective longitudinal axes intersecting at the point of their juncture. The. tube section I3 is shown as being arranged below the level of the floor of the vehicle and asextending rearwardly from a frontend l6, located forwardly of the driver's compartment, and to a rear end part II located outside of the confines of the vehicle and at the rearorbehind the vehicle. The other tube section is relatively short and is shown as comprising a lower end 18 joined at II tothe frontend IQ of thetube. section I! andextending upwardly and .rearwardly therefrom .and

" through the floor board of the driver .s.compartment and terminating in an upper endpart ll located in a positidn where it is within the direct vision of. the driver.

The device II also comprises an object-viewing means here shown as being in the form of an objective lens system 20 which is located within the rear end-part ll of the tube section 18 and where objects behind the vehicle and those at both sides of the rear of the vehicle and those *driver of the vehicle.

below the level of the rear window can be effectively viewed thereby. The objective lens system is preferably of a type which has a relatively wide angle of view; for example, one which is in excess of 100. The light received by the lens system 20 is transmitted forwardly through the tube section I3 to the point of Junction I3 where a mirror 2I is positioned and functions to reflect such light upwardly and rearwardly through the tube section Il to a second lens system 22 located adjacent the upper end part I of the section ll. The lens system 22 is so constructed and positioned with respect to the system and the mirror 2|, that images transmitted thereto through the tubes I2 from the objective lens system 20, will be projected in erect position and in focus on an image-displaying element here shown as being in the form of a ground glass screen 2l arranged across the upper end part I9 of the tube section I3 and within the direct vision of the As will be appreciated, suitable means (not shown) may be provided for adjusting the position of the mirror and for focusing and adjusting the lens systems 20 and 22.

The modification shown in Fig. 3 is of the same general construction as the one shown in Figs. 1. and 2, with the exception that instead of providing one tube section like the one indicated at ll in Fig. l and which extends upwardly and rearwardly from the forward end of tube section I3, I provide two tube sections Ila and Ilb, respectively. The section Ila is connected at its lower end to the forward end of section I3 and extends vertically upward therefrom, and the section Ilb is connected at its forward end to the upper end of section Ila and extends horizontally rearward therefrom and terminates in a rear end part disposed within a suitable opening in the dash of the vehicle and within the direct vision of the driver. A mirror 2Ia reflects the light from section I3 upward through section Ila, and mirror 2Ib between section Ila and Ilb. The objective lens system 20 is the same and functions in the same manner as in Figs. 1 and 2. The lens system 22 is also the same as in Figs. 1 and 2 and is located in section Ilb. The ground glass screen 2l is also the same and is positioned across the rear end of section Ilb.

In Fig. 4 of the drawings, I have shown a modified form of rear-view optical device which is located in the upper part of the passenger space of the vehicle and which comprises a light-transmitting tube including straight tube sections 3|, 32, 33, and 3l' which are connected together in end-to-end relation so that images of objects in rear of the vehicle are transmitted serially therethrough from an objective lens system in a rear end part l3 forming a rearward extension of section 3|, and are projected in focus on a ground glass screen 36 arranged across a forward end portion 31 which is directed horizontally rearward from the lower end of section 3l. Mirrors 38, 39, and lb function, respectively, to flect the light transmitted thereto from a rearward tubes'ection, lengthwise of a tube section arranged forwardly thereof, and the mirror ll reflects light from "section 3l onto the ground glass screen 38. A second lens system l2 is located in the tube section 34 and functions in the same manner as the lens system 22 of Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The rearmost tube section 3| is directed downward and rearward and the objective lens system in the rear end portion 43 thereof views through the rear window of the vehicle objects directly in rear of the vehicle and below the level of the rear window as well as objects further to the rear and on both sides of the vehicle.

The modification shown in Fig. 5 is the same and functions in the same manner as the one shown in Fig. 4. with the exception that the rearmost tube section 3Ia of Fig. 5, instead of being directed downward and rearward as in Fig. 4, extends horizontally rearward; and, with the additional exception, that section 3211 is arranged vertical and connects the forward end of section 3Ia to the rear end of tube section 33. Mirror 38a reflects light fromsection 3Ia through section 32a and mirror 39a reflects such light from section 32a forwardly through section 33. Otherwise, the modification of Fig. 5 is identical with the structure of Fig. 4.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to several modifications, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claim.

What is claimed is:

The combination with a motor vehicle of a rear-view optical device therefor comprising a pair of straight light-transmitting tube sections joined together in end-to-end relation and at a point forward of the drivers seat of said vehicle; one of said tube sections extending rearwardly from the point of juncture and terminating in a rear end positioned to view objects in the rear of said vehicle; an objective lens system in said rear end having a relatively wide range of vision; the other of said tube sections extending upwardly and rearwardly from said point of Juneture and terminating in a forward end positioned within the direct vlsionof the operator; a ground glass screen disposed approximately normal to the axis of said other tube section and across said forward end; a light-reflecting device at the juncture ,of said sections and positioned to reflect light whichis transmitted forwardly through said one tube, upwardly and'rearwardly through said other tube; and a second lens system in said other tube and so constructed and positioned with respect to said objective lens and to said screen that the images of objects in rear of said vehicle viewable by said objective lens are projected in focus on said screen.

CLIFFORD BARDEN. 

